Scientists at Tokyo Tech Improve All-Solid-State Batteries

Xenia Zoller August 10, 2018

Since traditional Li-ion batteries are nearing their full potential, scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology are aiming to find new types of batteries. The team is currently working on all-solid-state batteries, a new type of Li-ion battery that has been shown to be a potentially safer and more stable energy-storing device due to higher energy densities.

The scientists from Tokyo Tech and Tohoku University are facing the challenges new batteries still have: their resistance at the electrode/solid electrolyte interface is too high, which hinders fast charging and discharging. Therefore the team fabricated all-solid-state batteries with extremely low interface resistance using Li(Ni0.5Mn1.5)O4 (LNMO), by fabricating and measuring their batteries under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, ensuring that the electrolyte/electrode interfaces were free of impurities.

After numerous tests the scientists found that the improved batteries could be charged and discharged very fast, as they managed to charge/discharge half a battery within one second. The cycles also showed stability, and performed well even after 100 charge/discharge cycles. This is possible because of LNMO providing increased energy density due to the material providing a higher voltage.